EPL 2016/17 - Game Week 2

The opening day of the new EPL 2016/17 season was a little subdued rather than a big bang. Most of the matches were nondescript, even drab save for two teams with home red-shirted strips but won by the away team in black attire. What was my impression after the first matches were done with? 

Manchester United v Southampton - The newspapers flashed colourful headlines on the Red Devils, Mourinho and Ibrahimovic. If you had watched the match, United laboured boringly until Bournemouth gifted the goals. Of course, they have not won here for quite some time and Ibra scored a good goal. The boring and pragmatic soccer is not unexpected from Mourinho teams. It is hard not to be better than LVG especially with the new additions. When Moyes bought Maruone Fellaini there was hue and cry but LVG made him a first choice too and so do Mourinho now so Fellaini ain't that bad. Mkhitaryan looked interesting nut the cameo did nothing much. It was a good start with an away win. 

Now the Saints offer a different opposition. You will not believe how many top players were sold such that Southampton are the organ donor of English soccer. Let me share a few names: Arthur Boruc (Bournemouth),Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Morgan Schneiderlin (Man Utd), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (Arsenal), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Ricky Lambert (WBA), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Graziano Pelle (Shandong Luneng), Jason Puncheon (Palace), Victor Wanyama (Spurs). You could see that this can be a very good full team by itself. They have sold an entire team! Despite this, they continued to do well each year. Last time out they have even lost their manager Ronald Koeman to Everton! 

Last two times they met at Old Trafford, the Saints won 1-0. This made them like a jinx team for United. Will United do the same like they did to get over the Bournemouth jinx? Claude Puel is lesser known but has done great works with Monaco, Lille, Lyon and Nice where he brought Lyon to Champions League semis. The French man is regarded as a protege of Arsene Wenger. He started as a defence-minded manager. Southampton has always been smart in who they appointed as manager - Mauricio Pochettino, Ronald Koeman and now Claude Puel. United has strengthened while Southampton has been weakened, both quite significantly. Mourinho was playing mind games when they reportedly showed interest to sign Southampton's Fonte. You can expect United to win their first home game but I think Southampton could surprise and jinx them again and Forster needs to perhaps perform some heroics between the posts. 1-2.

Stoke City v Manchester City - Good thing for Stoke is that Shaqiri scored in their first match so maybe more to come from him after trailing Boro at home. The comfort for Stoke is that they have won two of their last four matches against City. At this very venue, Stoke won 2-0 last season but in their last meeting at City were thrashed 0-4. A concern for Stoke is that Sergio Aguero has just netted a hattrick in Europe and in good form despite his penalty misses. Joe Hart has been dropped but Buffon considered Hart one of the world's best after Manuel Neuer and David de Gea. I would like to see Stoke keeper Jack Butland returning to action. This lad has a bright future and he could make a difference here. 

Meanwhile, Raheem Stirling made a remarkable return to form for City in the last two matches. Stoke team of the past had been known to cost City problems. Can Mark Hughes get his team to rile them up again. City needed an 87th minute own goal to secure home victory but roared to an away  5-0 romp over Steaua Bucuresti. Sterling, Nolito and Aguero starred. City should ace this one. 1-2.

Swansea v Hull - Two seasons ago, the Swans won both home and away ties. Swansea are in winning form from pre-season till their opening away win at Burnley last week. The Tigers have their claws out when they defeated champions Leicester at home despite their domestic troubles. Hull indeed played very well last week with good goals to boot. Altercation between these two have been close affairs in the past. With home advantage and Joe Allen, I'll take Swansea to win. 2-1.

Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace - Both London sides were off to a difficult start. Tottenham rescued an away point at Everton while Palace lost 0-1 at home to WBA. Half the time in the past they drew at White Hart Lane. Palace won 1-0 here in the F.A. Cup. This is also a London derby where even more boasting rights are at stake. Both sides need to win here or their season will not look like they are picking up. Past meetings tended to have close results. Can Alan Pardew inspired a win? Or will Tottenham's season pick up from here? I expect Tottenham to win with some style. 3-1.

Watford v Chelsea - The last time they met at Vicarage Road it ended 0-0 in April. In the earlier leg in December 15 on Boxing Day it was 2-2 but the Hornets are now facing a somewhat different Chelsea side. Though Chelsea won 2-1 against the Hammers on opening day, you need to remember that West Ham is a very good side. Watford need to give themselves a pat for holding Southampton away and in fact led the proceedings. Watford have two good strikers in Deeney and Ighalo. I expect one of them to open accounts but Chelsea should get three more points.  1-2.

WBA v Everton - The Baggies are winless against Everton in their last three league matches there at the Hawthorns but they battled Palace last week to earn an unlikely away win while Everton was quite impressive at home to Tottenham and was leading through a brilliant Ross Barkley free kick before Lamela saved Spurs' blushes.  WBA are still a difficult team to beat and Everton are still a good team but what they both lack is the cutting edge in attack to determine wins. 1-1.

Burnley v Liverpool - Burnley lost narrowly at home to Swansea. They play host again this time against a bristling Liverpool on a high after an incredible game of nail-biting soccer at the Emirates where they eventually won 4-3. Those who are fans must have chewed off their fingernails and had their BP up the roof! There were great goals too. If you did not see it you would have missed a great match. Winning in London against Arsenal is not easy but Liverpool must show that they can handle the smaller teams such as Burnley in this case. Liverpool were poor in the first half. So poor that you feel sorry for them. Then Coutinho the magician showed up with a stupendous free kick goal from 25m. Adam Lallana added a classy second, Coutinho scored again, this time a trade marked goal typical of Liverpool when they are on song and a superb Mane goal. Mane got a couple of guys closing in on him but none got close as he powered away and let fly an unstoppable shot. Mane is a colossal and a monster. Opponents have problems trying to shake him off. 

Arsenal pulled back and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain scored a brilliant solo goal. Before this, Mignolet was playing well including a solid penalty save but the real Mignolet was back when Chamberlain scored from the near post, a goalie's cardinal sin. While it was same old Arsenal, it was also same old Moreno. First, he needlessly brought down an opponent in the penalty box and there was no immediate danger. As if not enough, he allowed Walcott to slip through and slotted home. He was nowhere to be seen. Klopp will only regret not replacing him and this is urgent. It is not that this lad is not talented but he can't defend to save his life! So, Moreno is no defender. He is better off as a left winger. Winning away to Arsenal is a good start but they need to fix their defensive woes, Moreno and beat teams like Burnley then can you say you are going to have a fighting chance this season because Liverpool can score but you got to stop leaking at the back. 0-2.

Leicester City v Arsenal - Life has been so unkind to both Leicester and Arsenal. In their last five matches, champions Leicester drew one with Celtic and lost to PSG and Barcelona then to Man Utd in Community Shield and finally defeated by Hull. The last one was quite a beating considering Hull's condition. It is not easy to be No.1 and when you got there, it is even more difficult to sustain it. But if one keeps doing the right time, you will turn out okay. The Gunners also got cursed. The Foxes record against Arsenal have been poor. Even when they were champions they never got past the Gunners having lost both ties last season. The Foxes need a result here to kick start their season and defend their name and it cannot be a bad time as the Gunners are facing an injury crisis, again. Interestingly, Riyadh Mahrez has just signed a new four year contract to stay despite serious talk of him moving to Arsenal. 

Mahrez is now no longer distracted to thrive in his free roving role where he is most dangerous. Vardy must be eager to register a first goal but Ranieri must plug the gap left by Kante or the Gunners will exploit. I was wondering why Wenger left Oxlade Chamberlain
on the bench when he was the best player in pre-season. Santi Cazorla came in later too and change the game although they played well and dominated Liverpool in the first half. Arsenal creates much but lack the killer instincts. 2-2.

Sunderland v Middlesborough - The Black Cats are the escape artists of a few seasons but have a good record against Boro. Not been defeated for sometime in this tie. Sunderland's pre-season was not too bad and they managed to make life difficult for Man City. Boro beefed up their squad and Negredo repaid them immediately last week. Will this be enough for the lower division 4th best team recently promoted? Sunderland must start getting points like in this game and not wait for another late season escape which may prove costly. David Moyes can do this job and Jermaian Defoe is a good goal scorer. 2-1.

West Ham v Bournemouth - The Hammers needed a win at their new Olympic stadium that could rival the rest and this should be where their season starts after being handed a tough opening away match at Chelsea. Chelsea needed an 89th minute goal by Costa to win and he should have been sent off earlier. New record signing Ayew is now out for four months. So you see something like this could happen to Pogba too. This is the first game at the Hammer's new home so they would want a good result but they have just played Astra of Romania in an European tie on Thursday which ended 1-1. So it is going to be tough with less rest. 

Bournemouth were expected to go back down together with Hull at the end of this season so they have to start rescuing points. There is also what I have witnessed many times, the second season syndrome. A team could do quite well one season and then they flounder. Is is also going to be tough. I'll say a West Ham win. 2-0.